Winter is almost here. The days are getting shorter, the mornings are darker and colder and it’s difficult to get excited about green salad and outdoor training sessions.

Unfortunately, the cold weather can lead to bad habits including comfort eating, missing your early morning training sessions, or just generally doing less incidental exercise.

The sunshine and warm weather is motivating but the plummeting temperatures in winter means healthy choices are harder to make.

Exercise

Is hitting the snooze button for 10 or 12 reps the only exercise that interests you on a cold winter morning? Try changing things up with one or all of the following:

Sleep in your workout gear. Yes it actually works. I have many clients who swear by it. It may sound a little kooky but it could mean the difference between hitting the floorboards, or hitting the snooze button.

Buy some new winter active wear. This is a simple but effective motivator. Everyone likes to show off their new gear at the gym.Consider something bright and brilliant to lift your mood and motivation.Feeling good in your active wear is half the battle.

Become a night owl. Do your training at night rather than first thing in the morning. You can head to the gym straight after work. This will help you to avoid the temptation of going home to sit on the couch in your PJs. The big bonus?You can sleep in on those super cold mornings.

Join a challenge or a program. This is a great way to meet like-minded people who can cheer you on and make training fun. Also the accountability is much higher when you are working towards a common goal. At Achieving You we have extra programs in winter to keep you motivated. Visit www.achievingyou.com.au for more details.

REMEMBER. Moving warms you up.Get out there and brave the cold. After a few minutes you will be warmed up and ready for a good session. You can reward yourself with a hot cup of tea and some couch time when you are done.

Eating

Comfort food can be healthy.Skip on the heavy carbs and choose slow cooked meals. You can add lots of garlic, ginger, turmeric and other herbs to ward off colds and flu. Click here to check out some of my favourite winter warmer recipes. Remember to keep a check on your portion sizes. This will help you to stay on track.

It’s packed with all the goodness to keep the colds and flus away this winter

It’s a one pot meal!

So you know I love turmeric. It has amazing healing powers, anti-inflammatory and gives a great orange curry colour. This recipe is originally from Nat Jones but I changed it a little (surprise surprise!) and added chickpeas instead of lentils, and added the turmeric because? Well, why not!

Such a great winter warmer without all the calories.

Enjoy x

Ingredients:

1 onion finely diced

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove of garlic micro planed

knob of ginger micro planed

knob of turmeric micro planed

chili to taste

1 tin chickpeas

2 cup chopped pumpkin – diced

2-4 tsp curry powder

6 cup stock

2 tbsp coconut cream

Coriander togarnish

Method

Heat oil and add garlic, onion, ginger, chilli and saute.

Add remaining ingredients except chickpeas and then place a lid on and bring to the boil.

Simmer for until pumpkin is half done and then add chickpeas. Continue to simmer until chickpeas are soft.

I just want to eat this all the time! Everyone loves a good curry right? Well this is going to knock your socks off that you can have your curry and feel so dam good afterwards.

This recipe comes from Honestly Emma, Functional Medicine Pharmacist (you can find her on Instagram) who I had the pleasure of working with late last year.

Her method is done on the stove top, but I love using the slow cooker for this one. A few reasons, I loooovvee my chicken being all mushed up and you can guarantee with enough time in the cooker, this is going to happen. Also, the slow cooker is like having mum cook for you… it’s ready when you get home. I pop it on in the morning, go about my day and come dinner time, it’s good to rock and roll. For those who are time poor, this is def the way to go. 5 minutes in the morning saves you the headache of organising a healthy meal for the family after a long day and getting home late.

Turmeric is the best! It is one of the best and natural anti-inflammatory foods you can use. It adds flavour, but if you aren’t that keen on it, you can do what I do and add it to everything else you are cooking, just use less of it. This gives you the benefits without overriding the flavour of whatever you are cooking. I buy mine from my local fruit store. And of course, chilli is great for metabolism (speeding it up), while the garlic and ginger also help with keeping those nasty colds away. Great for a winter cook up.

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

3cm fresh ginger

1 long red chilli, halved

1 brown onion, halved

100g ghee or coconut oil (I don’t use this because it’s creamy enough in the slow cooker)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground paprika

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp ground corriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground turmeric (I always use fresh and use the micro-plane to grate it in. I use a full stick of turmeric – about 2.5cm long)

500g coconut cream

2 tsp lemon juice

200g tomato paste

2 tsp sea salt

1.3kg chicken thigh, roughly chopped

Method

Chop onion, garlic, ginger and chilli by hand, then saute in a saucepan with ghee or coconut oil until soft.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently, covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, and sauce is being thickened.

Stir every now and again.

Serve with quinoa or cauliflower rice and steamed greens.

Note

Because I use the slow cooker, I literally chuck everything in at the same time, gives it a stir so all spices are in and the chicken is covered with the liquid, walk away and come back about 8 hours later. Then I indulge!! Enjoy 🙂

Having protein for breakfast is one of the best ways to kick the 3pm sweet tooth craving. Why? Because it sets your body up with lots of fuel from the start. While there are some really good and healthy carb breakfasts, I find it leaves me hungry a little while after. So for a past fewyears, I have opted for the basic eggs and bacon or eggs and veg for breaky. And I have to say, it keeps me going and gives me a head start with my veg intake for the day too.

Protein is essential for building muscle, so if you are planning a workout later today, or have just done one, rebuilding what you have just broken down is super important. It is also a great way to fill you up for longer, reduce your overall calorie intake (if that’s what you are after) because you won’t be looking for those naughty snacks later on.

But I don’t have time in the morning …

Most of this can be prepared the night before, while you are already making a mess in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Then while you are having shower, putting your makeup on or getting the kids ready for their day, there is 10 minutes that this baby could be slightly cooking in the background. There is always a way 🙂

Ingredients

2-3 eggs (depending on exercise level)

1/2 cup of last nights cooked veg, roughly chopped

Pepper

Optional: 1 slice short cut bacon

Method

Pop a bit of Macadamia oil in your pan (this oil has a really high smoke point), stir all ingredients well in a bowl, pour into pan. Leave until the bottom is cooked, then flip. Wallahh! Done.

I enjoy mine with some smashed avo on the side (1/4 avo).

So you have got protein from the eggs, started your day with some veg (big tick), full of nutrients and low calories and have radiant looking skin from the avo. I’d call that an award winning meal. Enjoy 🙂

I discovered this recipe from Sofie Van Kempen, Nutritionist and exciting recipe extraordinaire (you can find her on Instagram) just before Easter, so the idea was to make Easter eggs (as per recipe). But time got away and I have finally discovered my new love … homemade chocolate!

I have messed around with the recipe a bit, adding different ingredients in to see what I like and to see how much goodness I can pack in one little chocolate for myself and baby Elke. I will share the original recipe and then give you my absolute favourite 🙂

Enjoy

Ingredients

1 cup cocoa butter

1 cup raw cocao powder

1/3 cup raw honey

1 tsp vanilla bean paste / extract

pinch salt

Method

Melt butter, honey and vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan. Once melted, remove and combine powder, stir with a fork to remove all lumps. Pour into ice cub trays and pop in the freezer for about 15 min. Then you can just keep them in the fridge.

Lots of Omega 3s from the Flaxseeds and Chia seeds essential for brain health and great for your skin. Heaps of creaminess from the peanut butter. Magnesium from the cocao powder for recovery and energy. Essential minerals from the salt which we loose through sweat. So what are you waiting for? Get into this stuff! you won’t regret it 🙂

http://achievingyou.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/chocolate-image-1.jpg8001600Janet McMinnhttp://achievingyou.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Achieving-You-logo-Tagline-1030x462.pngJanet McMinn2018-05-02 23:11:092018-05-02 23:13:12Chocolate - like never before (and yes, it's good for you)